The birth of a main event standard
When AEW launched, the skeptics pointed to Double or Nothing as a curiosity and All Out as a test. But Full Gear 2019 in Baltimore was the moment the promotion stopped being a start-up and started being a legitimate threat. Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega in an unsanctioned Lights Out match set a violent, high-stakes bar that most companies struggle to reach in a decade of booking.
That match wasn't just blood for the sake of it. It was a statement that AEW would allow its top stars to push boundaries, utilizing glass, chains, and a literal ring-mat-free floor to tell a story of pure animosity. It redefined what a main event could look like in a modern era that had grown too comfortable with polished, safe television.
The Hangman Page redemption arc
Full Gear 2021 remains the absolute pinnacle of AEW storytelling. Hangman Adam Page finally taking the belt off Kenny Omega after years of self-doubt and isolation felt like the culmination of a long-form novel. The crowd in Minneapolis didn't just cheer; they lived and died with every near-fall, culminating in the Buckshot Lariat that hit with the weight of a thousand pages of character development.
It stands in stark contrast to the bloated, messy booking we often see in modern wrestling. There were no interference spots from a dozen different factions. Just two men who had been friends, partners, and eventually bitter rivals, fighting for the top spot in a company that they helped build from the ground up.
When the magic misses the mark
Not every year at Full Gear has been a home run, and we need to be honest about the misses. The 2022 main event between MJF and Jon Moxley ended with a ridiculous turn involving William Regal that felt like a desperate attempt to force a swerve. It took the wind out of MJF’s title win, shifting the focus from the actual wrestler to a corporate maneuvering angle that nobody asked for.
That decision was a 3/10 in terms of execution. It wasted the momentum of one of the best promo battles of that year. When you have a talent as sharp as MJF, you do not need to clutter his coronation with backroom politics involving legends who aren't even competing.
The standard for the future
Full Gear has carved out a niche as the show where the real work gets done. While All In is the spectacle and All Out is the tradition, Full Gear is where the grit happens. Look at the 2020 encounter between The Young Bucks and FTR, a dream match that finally delivered on the promise of tag team wrestling as a main event attraction. It was a technical masterclass that lasted 28 minutes and utilized every second to prove that the tag division was the heart of the company.
As Wrestling Inc. has documented over the years, the event continues to fluctuate in quality based on how much the promotion trusts its core talent. When they stop overthinking the cards and let the wrestlers go out there to settle personal grudges, the show is undeniable. If they keep relying on chaotic interference to cover for weak finishes, the event will lose the prestige it worked so hard to build in Baltimore.
